Burger connoisseur plans to revive southside Rockford eatery

ROCKFORD — Tucked away on the corner of 15th Avenue and Christina Street, a little ice cream shack with a long history awaits its fresh start.

For more than two decades, the building has sat vacant, in recent years covered by sheets of plywood from roof to foundation. But all that has changed thanks to James Purifoy, who set out to revive the ice cream parlor that had been a staple of his childhood. The revival of the eatery will feature more than cold treats. Purifoy plans freshly ground burgers, pasta and potato salads, frozen yogurt, smoothies and 24 flavors of soft serve.

“I had been riding past it so many times and not even noticing the place,” Purifoy said. “Or wishing it was what it used to be.”

Different generations in the south Rockford neighborhood know the walk-up shop by different names. It was Polar Dream in the ’50s and ’60s, then Lic & Sip ice cream parlor for a spell in the early ’70s before becoming Penguin Igloo. Then it was Tip of the Iceberg before ending its run in the late ’80s, according to records in the city directory.

Purifoy will call his new business 15th & Chris. He plans to open by the Fourth of July.

“We used to walk to it from over by Orton Keyes and spend what change we had,” the 39-year-old owner and head cook said. “It was history, of growing up in the inner city. ... Let’s bring some of that history and momentum back.

“There’s culture that happens right here.”

This spring Purifoy began turning the empty eatery into his own burger joint, pumping about $50,000 into the renovations. The city is chipping in $15,000 through the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program, which provides grants to help new businesses get started, eliminate blight and provide employment.

Purifoy liquidated his trucking business — JFP Trucking — to raise the capital to start a business venture that allows him to follow his passion for grilling, cooking and baking. He previously worked as a cook and was ready to open his own restaurant.

Purifoy’s mother, Darlene, said her son’s creations always were a hit at cookouts and barbecues, leading numerous friends and family to ask him when he would open his own restaurant.

“He gets that all the time,” she said. “That’s one of the things that motivated him because he gets so many of them saying it.”

Purifoy, a self-professed burger connoisseur, wants to break people of the “brainwash” of frozen patties and fries typical of burger joints. He’ll serve potato wedges, pasta salads and coleslaw, too.

“Everybody that’s got a burger joint, it’s burgers and fries, burgers and fries,” he said. “You know fries aren’t good for you and then they boat-load it.”

He also plans to whip together specialty burgers from time to time using other meat options such as bison. Other daily specials will include ribs, or chicken and waffles. He also wants to offer baked goods such as cheesecake. And he wants to serve up superior flavor, especially in a neighborhood that has fewer restaurants.

“It’s going to be one of the only places in the area where you actually go and a person will ask you, ‘How do you want your burger cooked?’” he said.